Trolley



I. L. GuIwLILIII AND F. w.'I UBLjIN;

TROLLEY.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 20, 1921.

1,397,760. v Patented Nov. 22,1921. Fig. 1 Figs Vy/ ./B l

111111111, ai M INVENTORS g FrederickM/'fubz'n BY n ATToRNEYsLtllttilliit STTES PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH L. G'UTVELER AND FREDERICK W. KUBLIIN, 0F ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

TROLLEY.

Application filed May 20, 1921.

To all @07mm z'' may concern:

Be it lrnown that we, JOSEPH L. GUT- wninnn and FREDERICK l/V. KUBLIN,citizens of the United States, residing` in the city of St. Louis, Stateof Missouri, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement inTrolleys, of which the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which itappertains to make and use the same.

rThis invention relates to trolleys of the type in which the wheel ofthe trolley is mounted in the harp on the trolley pole in such a mannerthat the wheel normally has a sliding contact with the trolley wire, butis capable of rotating so as to equalize the wear on the grooved portionof the wheel that receives the trolley wire.

The main object of our present invention is to provide a trolley thathas all of the desirable features and. characteristics of the trolleydescribed in our pending application Serial No. 386,438, led June 4,1920, and which is constructed in such a manner that the wheel willrotate in traveling forwardly over the trolley wire around sharp curveswhen the trolley wire is arranged diagonally with respect to the groovein the wheel and also when the wheel is traveling` under bridges andother relatively low places where the trolley wire exerts more than theusual pressure on the wheel.

Another object iste provide a trolley that comprises a wheel, a coiledspring combined with said wheel in such a way that the engagement of thewheel with the trolley wire holds said spring under tension, and meansfor permitting the wheel to shift bodily with relation to the springwhen the wheel is subjected to a blow from a hanger or other deviceagainst which the wheel strikes, thereby causing the wear to bedistributed more uniformly over the grooved surface of the wheel. Otherobjects and desirable features of our invention will be hereinafterpointed out.

Figure l of the drawings is an end elevational. view, partly in verticaltransverse section of a trolley constructed in accordance with ourinvention.

Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view of the wheel of thetrolley and the spring and clutch arranged inside of sald wheel; and

Specification of Letters Patent.

Serial No. 471,109.

Fig. 3 is a side elevational view of the complete trolley consisting ofthe wheel and the harp in which the wheel is mounted.

in general trolley herein shown is the same as the trolley that formsthe subject-matter of our pending application previously referred to. ltcomprises a harp or forked member A that is adapted to be mounted on theupper end of a trolley pole (not shown), a wheel B mounted in said harpand provided with a groove for receiving a trolley wire or otherelectrical conductor (not shown), .a horizontally-disposed shaft or axleC mounted in said harp so as to form a support for the wheel B, a coiledspring D combined with said wheel in such a way as to cause the wheel tooscillate forwardly and rearwardly and also gradually change itsposition about'its axis when the trolley is in service and a clutcharranged between the spring D and the shaft or axle C. The spring D is arelatively heavy, flat coiled spring, preferably formed of metal that isa goed electrical conductor, and arranged in a chamber in the body ofthe wheel B, as shown in Fig. l, said wheel having a removable portion lthat forms one wall of said chamber. The clutch previously referred tothat is interposed between the spring and the shaft or aXle C ispreferably of the pawl type and comprises an outer member 2 to which oneend of the spring D is securely connected, an inner member 3 formed by ahub 0r integral portion on the shaft C and a pivotally mounted pawl 4 onthe inner member 3 that is normally forced outwardly into engagementwith teeth or notches 5 on the inner side of the outer member 2 by meansof spring 6, seated in a socket in the inner member 3 as shown in Fig.2, said pawl being so arranged that it will prevent the outer member 2of the clutch from turning relatively to the shaft C in clockwisedirection, but will permit said outer member to turn freely relativelyto the shaft C in the reverse direction or in anti-clockwise direction.y

instead of directly connecting the outer end of the spring D to thewheel B of the trolley, as in the structure shown in our applicationpreviously referred to, a split friction ring E is interposed betweenthe Patented Nov. 22, 1921. l

design and construction the Y a coiled compression 'the wheel issubjected wheel B and the outer end of the spring D so as to cause thespring and wheel to be normally connected together, but permit the wheelto rotate under certain conditions, or

toshift bodily with relation to the spring,

under certain conditions, the outer end oit the spring D being connectedto one end of the split friction'ring in such a way that it normallyexerts pressure on said ring in a direction tending to expand thering,but permits the ringl to con ract and slip relatively to the wheel inthe event thewheel B isfsubjected to pressure or a blow in a directiontending to cause it to turn in clockwise direction afterthe spring D hasbeen wound up tightly. lfor example, when the trolley is travelingforwardly over the trolley wire around sharp c rves, the ,frictionalengagement between the trolley wire and the wheel B, due to the'diagonalarrangementV of the trolley wire in the grooved portion of thewheel,ovcrcomes the frictional contact between the wheel B and thefriction ring E, thus causing the wheel to rotate. Also when the wheelis traveling forwardly over the trolley wire 'under bridges and otherrelatively low places when the trolley wire efrerts more than the usualVpressure on the wheel, the frictional contact vbetween the wheel and thefriction ring E is overcome andthe wheel will rotate, rihe friction ringE Yalso vpermits the wheel B to shift or more bodily with relation tothe spring D when to a blow from a hanger or other device against whichthe wheel strikes in traveling forwardly over the Y trolley wire.

Y `Under normal operating conditions the spring D will be `held undertension by the engagement of the wheel B with the trolley wire, thewheel being held in snug engagement with the trolley wire by the upwardpressure of the trolley pole and by the force or pressure which thespring D exerts on the wheel B in a direction tendinea to turn saidlwheel in anti-clockwise direction, or to the left, looking atFig.V 2.When the wheel passes under the hangers which support the trolley wirethe pressure of said wheel on the trolley wire is increased momentarily,dueto the increased upward pressure of the trolley pole and theconsequent tendency of the wheel to turn in clockwise direction, or tothe right (looking at llig. 2), and'tlius place the, spring D undergreater tension. lhen the wheel .B is traveling between two trolley wirehangers, the pressure of said wheel on the trolley wire is momentarily cccreased, owing to the upward flexing of the trolley wire, thus causingthe wheel to turn slightly to the left orr in anti-clockwise direction.At points in the path of t 1avel of the wheel when the wheel ismomentarily disengaged from the trolley wire, for eX- ample, when thewheel is traveling past a the friction ring E crossing or pan, the wheelwill rotate in anti-clockwise direction, or tothe left, a considerabledistance, due, of course, to the fact that there is nothing to resistthe rotary movement of the wheel in this direction, thus causing adifferent portion ofthe grooved surface of the wheel to bear against thetrolley lwire when the wheel is rengaged with the trolley wire, therengagement of the wheel with the trolley wire causing the wheel to turnto the right or in clockwise direction, and thus place the spring Dunder tension.

While the wheel-B normally has a sliding Contact with the ltrolleywire,there are times, suoli, for example, Vas when the wheel istraveling forwardly around a sharp curve, that the wheel will rotate,due, of course, to the fact vthat abnormal pressure which `the trolleywire then exerts on the wheel breaks the frictional Contact between thewheel and y lt will thus be seen that Vin a trolley v'of' theconstruction above described the friction ring E performs severalfunctions, namely it prevents the spring D from breaking under excessivestrains; it permits the wheel B to rotate when the trolley wire exertsan abnormal pressure on the wheel, thus aiding in the uniformdistribution of the wear lon the wheel B, and it permits 'the wheeltopshift or move bodily with relation to :the spring D when the wheel issubjected to a sudden sharp blow, as, for example, when the wheelstrikes a hanger or other obstruction in its path of travel. When thecar or vehicle on which the trolley is used is backed up or movedrearwardly, or, in other words, when the wheel is travF cling rearwardlyover the trolley wire, ythe wheel B will rotate freely to the left, orin anti-clockwise direction, due, of course, to the fact that there' isa clutch, interposed between the inner end of the spring D and the axleC on which the wheel B turns.

Vfhile litis immaterial how the wheel l5 is mounted' in the harp A ofthe trolley, we prefer to mount the wheel in the manner described in ourpending application pre viously referred to, as such a constructioneliminates arcing when the trolley is in use, and it permits the wheeland its supporting shaft to be easily removed fromj or arrangedinoperative position in the harp A, the shaft C being provided at itsends with non-circular-shaped portions that fit in verticallydisposedgrooves 7 Vformed in the inner side faces of the side pieces of thefharpA and clamped securely in said side pieces by a screw 8, as shown inFig. 1, that draws the side pieces of the harp together and causes themto bear snugly against the ends of the shaft C.y

W ith Va trolley of the construction above described there is littleliability of `thetrolley being damaged or the trolley Iwire 'torn downin the event that the grooved portion of the trolley wheel becomes wornin such a way that the groove of the wheel grips the trolley wire toosnugly when the vehicle is traveling forwardly, owing to the fact thatthe spring' and the wheel of the trolley are connected together by afriction device which is capable of giving or yielding under abnormalconditions, said friction device also acting to cushion the blow on thewheel of the trolley that occurs in bridging gaps in the trolley wireand also when the wheel is traveling under crossings, switch points andthe hangers that support the trolley wire. llt is, of course, impossibleto prevent the wheel of a trolley from being subjected to blows when thetrolley is in service, but in our improved trolley the blows or shocksto which the wheel is subjected have no injurious effect on the trolley.ln fact, said blows or shocks are utilized to bodily shift or move thewheel with relation to the spring l), and thus distribute the wearuniformly over the grooved portion of the wheel. As previously stated,the wheel of our improved trolley normally has a sliding contact withthe trolley wire, but when the vehicle on which the trolley is used istraveling forwardly under a viaduct or other relatively low place, thefriction ring lll automatically releases the wheel B of the trolley andpermits said wheel to revolve, thus taking olf or reliew ing the strainon the spring D. Also in rounding sharp curves the wheel of the trolleywill rotate, thus eliminating the possibility of the trolley wire grooveof the wheel becoming excessively wornv at any particular point.

aving thus described our invention, what we claim as new and desire tesecure by lietters Patent is:

l. A trolley, comprising a supporting member, and a wheel mounted insaid member in such a manner that it normally has a sliding contact withaV trolley wire or electrical conductor over which it is travelingforwardly but is capable of revolving and continuing to revolve aboutits axis when the trolley wire exerts and maintains an abnormal pressureon said wheel.

2. A trolley, comprising, a supporting member, a wheel carried by saidmember and adapted to cooperate with a trolley wire or electricalconductor, and means whereby said wheel will oscillate back and forthunder normal operating conditions in travelingl over a straight run andwill turn about its axis in traveling around sharp curves.

3. A trolley, comprising a supporting member.y a wheel mounted in saidmember in such a manner that it normally has a sliding contact with thetrolley wire or electrical conductor with which it cooperates, meanswhereby said wheel will oscillate back and forth and turn graduallyabout its axis suiiciently to prevent any one portion of the wheel frombecoming excessively worn when the trolley wire exerts normal pressureon the wheel, and means for permitting said wheel to rotate whentraveling forwardly over the trolley wire in case said trolley wireexerts a materially greater pressure on the same than the wheel issubjected to under normal operating conditions in traveling forwardlyover a straight run.

Ll. A trolley, comprising a supporting member, a Vwheel in said memberthat is adapted to cooperate with a trolley wire or electricalconductor, means for causing said wheel to normally have a slidingcontact with the trolley wire but to oscilla-te back and forth andgradually turn about its axis so to distribute the wear uniformly overthe entire surface of the wheel when it is traveling forwardly over thetrolley wire, and means whereby said wheel will revolve when it istraveling forwardly around sharp curves and will revolve freely when thevehicle on which the trolley is used is moving rearwardly.

5. A trolley, comprising a supporting member, a wheel in said memberthat is adapted to cooperate with a trolley wire or electricalconductor, a coiled spring combined with said wheel in such a way thatit tends to turn the wheel in one direction, and means for permittingthe wheel to shift bodily with relation to said spring, and revolveabout its axis, when it is Vsubjected to certain conditions whiletraveling forwardly over the trolley wire.

G. il. trolley, comprising member, adapted to cooperate with a trolleywire or electrical conductor, a coiled spring (combined with said wheelin such a wa that it normally tends to turn the wheel ilieely in onedirection, and means for permitting said wheel to shift bodily withrelation to said spring` in the opposite direction, and also rotateabout its axis when it is subjected to certain conditions whiletraveling forwardly over the trolley wire.

7. trolley, comprising a supporting member, a wheel in said member thatis adapted to cooperate with a trolley wire or electrical conductor, acoiled spring for resisting rotary movement of said wheel in onedirection, and a friction device that connects said spring to said wheeland permits the wheel to shift bodily with relation to said spring undercertain conditions when the wheel is traveling forwardly over thetrolley wire.

8. il trolley, comprising a supporting member, a wheel in said memberthat is adapted to cooperate with a trolley wire or electricalconductor, a coiled spring for resisting rotary movement of said wheelin one direction, a friction device for connecta supporting a wheel insaid member that ising'said spring tosaid Wheel, and a means forpermitting said spring to turn or travel around the axis of; rotation ofsaid wheel.

A9. A trolley, comprising a. wheel that is adapted to cooperate With atrolley Wire or electrical conductor, a supporting shaft for said Wheel,a clutch and a coiled spring arranged betweenl said shaft and Wheel, anda friction device for connecting said spring to said wheel. Y c

10; A trolley/,comprising a Wheel that is adapted to cooperate with atrolley Wire or electrical conductor, a supporting sha-ft for saidWheel, a coiled spring` arranged inside of said Wheel and having itsenter end connected to the Wheel, and a pawl clutch arranged betweensaid shaft and the inner end of said spring.

11. A trolley, comprising a wheel that is adaptedV to coperatie with atrolley Wire or electrical conductor, a. stationary supporting shaft forsaid Wheel', a coiled spring arranged inside of. said wheel, a4 clutchinterposedi between said shaft and the inner end of said spring, and afriction device for connecting the outer end of said spring to saidWheel.

12. A trolley, comprising a wheel that is adapted to cooperate with atrolley wire or electrical conductor, a stationary supporting shaftV forsaid Wheel, a flexible connection between said shaft and Wheel whichtends to restrict the rotary movement of said Wheel in one direction,means for permitting said Wheel to turn freely in the oppositedirection, and means whereby an abnormal pressure on the wheel causes itto shift bodily with relaf tion to said vflexible connection volve ifsaid abnormal pressure is continued.

13. 'A trolley, comprising a supporting member, a Wheel in said memberVthat is adapted to coperate With a trolley Wire or electricalconductor,

yadapted to cooperate and also re! aV coiled spring combined With'saidWheel; in such a. manner as to tend to limit the rotative movement ofsaid Wheel in one direction, and a friction ring that constitutes theconnection between said spring and Wheel.

141. A trolley, comprising` a. supporting member, a Wheel in said memberthat is adapted to cooperate with a trolley Wire or electricalconductor, a friction ring arranged in engagement with said wheel, and acoiled spring connected to said friction ring in such a .manner that itexerts pressure on said friction ring in a direction tending to ex?pandit.

15. A trolley, member, a' Wheel comprising a supporting in saidV memberthat is with a trolleyl Wire or electrical conductor, Ya stationaryshaft for said Wheel, a coiled spring arranged in a chamber in saidWheel, a friction ring connected to the outer end ofl said spring7 andarranged in frictional engagement Vwith said Wheel, and a clutchinterposed between said shaft and the inner end of said spring.

16. A trolley, comprising a supporting.y

member, a Wheel in said member that| Vis adapted to cooperate With a.trolley Wire or electrical conduct a stationary supportingshaft for saidranged in a chamber in said Wheel, a split friction ring surroundingsaid spring and arranged in engagement with said'wheel, the y outer endof said spring being connected to saidv friction ring in such a. mannerthat the tension of said spring tends tov hold said friction ringexpanded, and a pawl clutch arranged between the inner end of saidspring and said shaft.

Josnrir L. sUrWniLnr.. Y Vrnnnneicn W. KUBLIN.

Wheel, a coiled spring ar-

